Module description
An investigation of the musical and cultural substance of Broadway musicals, in particular musicals of the so-called 'Golden Age of Broadway' from the 1940s to the early 1960s. While some consideration is givent o the earlier history of Broadway musicals, especially insofar as they cast light on historical predispositions for reading later musicals, the focus will be on works including (but not limited to) Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Kurt Weill's Lady in the Dark, Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, Frank Loesser's Guys and Dolls and Most Happy Fella, Adler and Ross's Damn Yankees, Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady, Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, Meredith Willson's The Music Man and Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music. The relationship between stage and film versions of musicals will also be studied.
Assessment details
Reading Journal (10%), 1,000-word scene analysis (15%), 1,000-word review (15%) and a 2,500-word essay (60%)
Educational aims & objectives
Beyond surveying the repertory of American musical theatre in the twentieth century, describing both its substan ce and style, this course treats the Broadway musical as representing an important artistic and commercial heritage not only in the United States but worldwide (including, in particular, London). The works continue to give rise to debates about 'popular' and 'serious' music and about American cultural hegemony. It is chiefly in this context, the context of twentieth - century American culture, that the musical gives rise to an investigation of cultural values and cultural imperatives. Close readings of these works areas revealing (if not more revealing) of cultural change as contemporary 'serious' music
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable and practical skills appropriate to a Level 6 module and in particular will be able to:
- Contextualise various musical, social and commercial gestures in Broadway musicals
- Critically assess how these gestures are conveyed to a broad audience
- Address issues of the relationship between so-called 'serious' and 'popular' music free of pre-conceived cultural stereotypes
- Consider the difficulties of speaking about the complex interaction of music, book and stage and to formulate theoretical models for their interaction.
Teaching pattern
The module will be taught via lectures and seminars.